I'll admit to not being one of the many draft-obsessed football fans across the country. It's not that I don't get the allure, I do. The unbridled enthusiasm of a clean slate and the rebirth that picking a handful of new players can bring even the most downtrodden of franchises is something this Jets follower can relate to with little problem. It's just that seven hours cooped up inside with Chris Berman, Chris Mortensen and Sean Salisbury on a warm day so that I can find out something that I can spend the next five months getting my bearings with isn't that appealing an option.
I was surprised to see that the Jets moved up twice with trades in the first two rounds although I wasn't unhappy with the results. I thought they should focus on defensive additions and both Darrelle Revis and David Harris fit that bill. Revis, a cornerback from Pittsburgh, was rated below Leon Hall on many draft boards but having watched Hall, a technically sound if eminently burnable corner, a lot in college I'm more excited by the prospect of Revis. Tall, rangy and a strong tackler, Revis was ranked 10th overall by Scouts Inc. and he's also got punt return skills. The price to get him - a first, a second and a fifth with a sixth coming back - is steep but not steep enough to make me forget the strong draft a year ago.
To move up for Harris, the Jets traded their other second, a third and the sixth from the other deal for Green Bay's 47th overall and a seventh rounder. I'm very happy with this pick. Harris was the last of four Wolverines taken in the first two rounds and, to my eyes, the best player of the four. He was the surest tackler and centerpiece of a Michigan defense that earned a lot of praise and is a big-hitting and reliable tackler. He should slot in alongside Jonathan Vilma perfectly and allow the older player more room to manuever in the 3-4 defense. The crop will be small for the Jets, they have only a sixth and a seventh rounder to use today unless they make another trade but Revis and Harris were both very good college players at very high levels who fill holes in the Jet defense. That's about all you can ask from draft day.